RPH – Courier On The Air

Courier On The Air [RPH]
Monday to FridayMidday – 1pm

Courier On The Air is an RPH (Reading for the Print Handicapped) program that started in Ballarat in 2004 with a few volunteers who read on a roster basis for three days per week. As the group expanded that was increased to five days per week.

As most of our volunteers have other commitments our numbers have fluctuated over the years. In 2009 we had a meeting and an executive was formed to manage everyday concerns and train new volunteers. This has been very successful. Six training days were held in 2009 and 23 new volunteers added to our number. We now have around forty volunteers.

The program is live 12 midday to one pm with two hours preparation beforehand. This is done on a roster system which is prepared by a member of the executive.

Feedback from listeners has indicated that we have some who are visually impaired, some with physical difficulties, some who cannot read, and others who follow the reading in the paper to help them improve their English.

Nursing homes tune in and a flyer was circulated to spread the word. We are indebted to the many staff that have reported one of their daily tasks is to tune their clients radios to 99.9 especially for this very important program. The conversation encouraged from hearing the local news, sport and especially the death and funeral notices is invaluable to the wellbeing of many clients.

We are always on the look out for new volunteers to train for this program either as a presenter or panel operator. If you are interested, please don’t hesitate to contact the station